This invention relates to fishing lures, specifically to an improved type of baitfish imitating fishing lure with a flexible body concealing a wide gap offset fishing hook. Presently, there are a plurality of baitfish imitating lures available to the fisherman designed to attract predatory game fish either by their shape, erratic movements, coloration, light reflecting qualities, sound, scent, or some combination of these elements. Many types of materials have been utilized in an effort to create effective and easy to use artificial baits. Lures made of wood, metal, hard plastic and soft plastic are well known and widely used. The plethora of various designs made from each of these materials is mind boggling in the least. Some have been designed to attract fish in specific situations, for example, using some type of rattle or rotating blade to create noise or vibration to attract fish in "stained" or dirty water. Others are capable of "weedless" rigging to make fishing around aquatic vegetation, flooded brush or timber, rocks and other obstacles more productive and less frustrating.
Another recent trend in fishing lures centers around the creation of baits that more accurately mimic the movements and visual appeal of a live baitfish. Many of these designs were likely born out of the on going debate over how smart fish really are, and if they become conditioned to avoid certain negative cues, particularly in very clear or heavily fished waters.
Examples of these negative cues would include the following:
a) a hook, or hooks, attached or protruding externally of the body of the lure: PA1 b) weights or other rigging in the immediate vicinity of the lure: PA1 c) mechanical rotating or wobbling of the lure: and PA1 d) inanimate appearance or coloration of the lure:
Numerous attempts have been made in the field of soft plastic fishing lures to eliminate these negative cues with varying degrees of success. One such design, U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,372 to Reed; Herb (Mar. 12, 1991) describes an artificial lure of soft resilient material formed into an integral elongate of an asymmetrical nature, capable of unpredictable compound movements intended to simulate a baitfish. Although this lure can be rigged in a weedless fashion, its design leaves a substantial portion of the hook visible to the fish, providing negative cues to a wary predator. Further, it lacks an internal chamber for the concealment of weights, flotation inserts, or scent and flavor enhancements.
Another such lure, U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,089 to Hockmeyer; Wayne F. (Jan. 5, 1999) describes a pliable bait minnow with life-like details and a weedless hook arrangement. The hook is attached to the nose portion of the lure via a wire coil. This method of hook attachment is not advantageous due to its visibility to the fish, and its position in front of the bait can result in missed hook ups when a fish strikes the body of the bait and not the hook on front of the lure. Additionally, it also lacks an internal chamber.
A weedless fish lure, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,060 to Nienhuis; James I. (Dec. 11, 1990) consists of a pliable body with upper and lower longitudinal alignment grooves for concealing the hook and providing weedless operation. This arrangement, with the upper groove opening on the top portion of the lure makes it unsuitable for the addition of flotation devices or fish attracting scent and flavor enhancements.
Another weedless fishing lure, U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,004 to Schott; William Donald (Oct. 18, 1977) teaches a lure made of a semi-rigid plastic tube with a removably mounted head. This invention requires a specially made hook with a permanently attached disk to maintain the position of the hook in relation to the aperture in the body.
A plastic minnow, U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,774 to Bryant; Sherman G. (Jul. 31, 1973) describes a lure constructed of a sinkable soft plastic in its body portion combined with a dorsal fin and attachable eyes made of floater plastic. This combination is intended to keep the bait in a constant upright position when in use. The hook is concealed within the body by a groove in its lower most portion. This arrangement provides no means for manipulation of the buoyancy of the lure by the addition of weight or flotation devices. It also lacks an internal chamber for the employment of liquid fish attractant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,075 to Ingram; Alexander John (Jan. 21, 1975) teaches of a lure in the form of a fish made of a flexible material with a hollow interior. Its upper and lower interior compartments communicate with the outside through an opening in the mouth region of the lure. This arrangement inhibits the use of liquid fish attractant to create a scent trail. Additionally, no provision is made to rig the lure for weedless operation. Another bait fish imitator, U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,350 to Moore; Mark H. (Oct. 21, 1997) describes a lure of flexible material with a hinged body to mimic swimming motion, and reflective material imbedded in the body to imitate the coloration of living fish. No means are provided for adjustment of the lures buoyancy by the angler, or for weedless rigging.
Additional references cited are found in the 1999 Spring Fever mail order catalog from Bass Pro Shops (Jan. 2, 1999).
On page 102 of the catalog, lures of the tube bait genre are shown from several manufacturers. These lures are hollow, soft plastic "tubes" with tentacle like tails. They are frequently rigged with an offset worm hook and a tube weight, or stuffed with packaging "peanuts" to control their buoyancy. Although these lures can be effective at times, they show little resemblance to a baitfish, and when rigged a substantial portion of the hook is visible, giving negative cues to a potential victim fish.
On page 104 the Bass Pro Shops.RTM. Shadee Shad.TM. is offered. This lure is of the genre of baits often referred to as "pot bellies soft jerk baits". Lures of this type are available from many soft plastic lure manufacturers and all feature of a deep hook slot in their lower longitudinal edge to conceal a larger portion of the hook and improve the hook setting performance of the lure. This design fails to include an internal chamber for concealing a tube weight or flotation inserts, or for retaining liquid fish attractant. The following items appear in this specification and are included here for the examiners information. They also appear in the 1999 Spring Fever mail order catalog from Bass Pro Shops (Jan. 2, 1999).
On page 120 the XPS.TM. Tube Weight is offered. These weights are inserted into tube style lures and feature an eye through which a hook is threaded in order to secure the weight inside the lure. Hereafter this item will be referred to as a "tube weight".
The type of hook referred to in the following specification is available from many hook manufacturers. They all feature a wide gap offset worm hook design and are available in several sizes and wire gauges. Some examples include the Gamakatsu.RTM. Superline Worm Hook.TM. model #744 shown on page 123, the Owner.RTM. Rig-N-Hook.TM. model #5137 shown on page 124, and the Mustad.RTM. Mega-Bite Worm Hook.TM. offered on page 125. Hereafter this style of hook will be referred to as a "wide gap offset fish hook".
On page 138 a variety of fish attractants available in several flavors are shown such as Uncle Buck's.RTM. Hawg Scent.TM. and Fish Formula.RTM.. Hereafter these attractants will be referred to as "liquid fish attractant".